The Great Gatsby: Old Sport

Warner Bros.

Determined not only to have the money, Jay Gatsby spent years hosting lavish parties, hoping that Daisy, the woman  he fell in love with during his years as a soldier, would attend, so he could also have the girl.  Gatsby's wealth was a result of his ambition, but the  mansion, the car collection, the lifestyle, it was all for Daisy. 

Was Daisy worthy of Gatsby? She seemed like the type of  person who lived for the moment, and who wanted the excitement of love, without assuming the concomitant responsibilities. Gatsby was sincerely loving, while Daisy was sincerely materialistic. Her jocular disposition is tailored for festivity, but beyond that, it is difficult to say
 she is woman of substance. 

Warner Bros.

In the 1974 release of the film,  there is one scene not included in this recent release, that clearly provided a clue of Daisy's orientation as to what the proper relation of the poor and rich should be pertaining to  marriage. " Rich girls don't marry poor boys."  Did Daisy really love Gatsby?  It does not seem that Daisy can love a man without factoring in his economic status. 

The film did not lag. It was entertaining, and being bolstered by shimmering production, The Great Gatsby, a film based on the roaring twenties had a touch of bling with hip-hop music in some scenes. A little strange, but it worked somewhat. On a final note, Jay Gatsby was such an emotionally well gathered character it was difficult to feel how much he loved Daisy. I'll give it a 75. Stay tuned, movieporioum.blogspot.com. 

 


      

Iron Man 3: AIM

Paramount Pictures

Iron Man 3 delivered humor, action, and the sacred element of every summer blockbuster, incandescent special effects.  The film was adolescent but not pejoratively; the ominous, and serious impression portrayed in  the trailer was not matched in the film. The witty and amusing humor shifted the balance of the film, and undermined the serious threat of terrorism posed by the Mandarin, who was scripted in a fashion, puritanical comic book fans will likely find questionable, although the essence of the character as it was scripted, was an allegory for  political theater, and the creation of fabled enemies by mastermind(s) plotting in the shadows. 

The action scenes were relatively mind blowing with one drawback, Tony Stark was not suited as Iron Man as often as I would have liked. Throughout the film, it seemed, there was  a gradual destruction  of Tony Starks as Iron Man, ever-present from the first major action scene to the last. Tony Stark struggled to stay suited as Iron Man.  Indeed Stark will not be suited as Iron Man all the time, but in the major action scenes, it's pleasing to see superheroes assume their heroic character in their full heroic uniforms. 

Paramount Pictures

Was the third film a monumental ending to the Iron Man franchise? No, but it was satisfactory. There was enough action in the film to repel boredom, enough special effects to  garner excitement out of moviegoers, and definitely more than enough humor to attribute levity. For a blockbuster, and considering the very serious threats posed by the Mandarin, the pace of the film lacked urgency, and a story which featured the Mandarin as the comic book intended would have been great. Although the trailer was a little misleading, overall it was solid. I'll give it a 75. Stay tuned movieporiumblogspot.com. 


 

     

Oblivion: Tech 49

Universal Pictures

Beyond the stylish production, Oblivion features solitude, artificial intelligence, and among other things, amatory clones. Jack Harper (Cruise) is stationed on a depopulated planet earth, with very little human interaction, repairing drones, while  yearning for the pleasures of home. Was the film aiming to make a point about solitude?  No. If it was, that point was not perceptible. Rather, the main character endured solitude as a condition elemental to the story, and the plot, in which intelligent drones, blasting with effulgent lasers were on the prowl. 

Replete in the film is the idea of advanced robotic intelligence being the nemesis of humanity, serving as a basis to suggest, more likely the film was exploring the notion of artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence, commonly referred to as the   technological singularity. 

 Not only does artificial intelligence surpass human intelligence, it is adroit enough to create humans, but does  this mean artificial intelligence has the right to control  humans, since it created them? But is it practical or prudent, to perceive  artificially intelligent beings as  eligible for having rights ? In contrast, would they "care" about human rights? Essentially, the film suggests, they would not care about human rights, although they have designed humans without removing their capacity to experience feelings such as the ones customarily identified with love. 

And from this arises the question, would the feelings commonly

Universal Pictures

associated with love be recognized as less significant if they were to occur amongst clones in real life? Such a question may possibly emerge from the perception, clones are artificial, in contrast human beings are authentic, coming into existence through  parturition;  therefore, clones are not as important because they are artificial in their humanity.    


Although the plot was slow to develop, Oblivion was an entertaining film, with a good story, accentuated by visually impressive scenes, and a fractured narrative, satisfactorily explaining it all. With a production budget of  $120 million, more action would have been nice. Not bad. I'll give it a 79. Stay tuned. Movieporium.blogspot.com.